The Blog

People & Places: Audrey Proctor

Audrey Proctor is hard at work remodeling her Northeast D.C. condominium. It’s been a labor of love for her and her family, and she’s looking forward to the end results.

“We started last October, so it’s been a lot of work,” Proctor said. “I’m ready to be done!”

Proctor and her two sons have done all the remodeling, including laying new hardwood floors and mounting tiling in the kitchen. Community Forklift, a nonprofit reuse center for home improvement supplies, donated the building materials. And the construction know-how? Proctor is all about taking new chances.

“It was fun. I really liked creating patterns for the kitchen tiles,” she said.

Proctor was a Jubilee Housing resident for 20 years before she purchased her home. As a Jubilee board member, she now helps guide the organization in its mission to create more justice housingSM. Although she’s proud of her “DIY” spirit, she appreciates the support Jubilee Housing offered her family.

“It really takes a village,” she said. “I didn’t have to do it alone.”

Proctor points to the support of the Jubilee Housing’s Youth Services team as being especially helpful. Her oldest son, now 28, still stays in touch with his mentor. “My children were able to experience a lot that I may not have been able to provide on my own,” she said.

A homeowner of 10 years, Proctor relishes the freedom that comes with owning her home. “I love to decorate, and I have the freedom to do whatever I want with my home,” she said. “I have a garden now, which everyone refers to as ‘Ms. Proctor’s garden.’”

She purchased her home with the help of MANNA, a D.C. nonprofit that specializes in assisting first-time homebuyers, and Housing Counseling Services, Inc. She wants others to know that buying a home is within reach.

“A lot of people are afraid of the word ‘mortgage,’ but the more you learn about it, the more you know homebuying is something you can do, too,” she said. “I feel like if I can do it, anyone can do it.”